Weird and Wonderful Indonesia Trivia

Indonesia, with more than 17,000 islands, has many quirks. Deborah Dunn reports fun facts about Singapore, Borneo and the other islands of Indonesia.

A The largest volcanic lake in the world, Lake Toba contains an island roughly as big as Singapore. B Along with Sumatra, Borneo is the last refuge of the orangutan. Only about 60,000 remain in the wild. C Borobudur, the world’s largest Buddhist monument, sat buried beneath volcanic ash and overgrown jungle until 1815. D Mount Merapi, Indonesia’s most active volcano, lies 15 miles from the sultanate of Yogyakarta. The sultan, a devout Muslim, makes annual offerings to appease the gods of Merapi.

E Komodo National Park comprises more than 25 islands and is the only known habitat of the Komodo dragon, a supersized monitor lizard. F Wallace’s Line, named for naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, denotes vast differences in flora and fauna. East of the line the species are Australasian; west of the line they’re all Asian. G The Lembeh Strait, separating Sulawesi from Lembeh Island, is a divers’ mecca and is said to have a greater variety of marine life than anywhere else in the world.